Tamia Richardson was 14 years old when she won a free admission ticket to Disneyland in 1985. She redeemed that ticket last week. Traveling from Alberta, Canada with her teenage daughters she presented the ticket for admission hoping for the best. The ticket had a value of $16.50 (the price in 1985) and her daughters tickets were now $149 each. Park officials said, a deal is a deal and honored the collector’s item.

Earning Brownie Points – What Are Brownie Points?

The phrase, “Earning brownie points” has been used since the early 1900’s. It likely originated with the creation of the Brownies, a division of Girl Scouts for girls too young to be of official Girl Scout age. While Brownies were encouraged to do good deeds in their community, there is no known documentation of Brownies earning “points” for anything. In the 1930s, kids who delivered magazines like The Saturday Evening Post and Ladies’ Home Journal earned vouchers called greenies and brownies they could use to buy merchandise. In the 40’s, wartime rationing of red and brown ration points could be used to redeem meat. In 1951 the LA Times published a story about the phrase and it’s then meaning of earning brownie points (or losing them) with one’s spouse. This set the phrase firmly into American lexicon. Over the decades, brownie points has become synonymous with currying favor, often with authority figures such as teachers or employers. The idiom has become attached to any act where goodwill can be expected in return.

Grasshoppers Invade Las Vegas

Swarms of grasshoppers have descended upon Las Vegas in the past few weeks disrupting weather radars, deterring tourists and causing hysteria on social media. Traveling in “clouds” large enough to be detected on the National Weather Service radar system, grasshoppers are attracted to ultra-violet light. The insects have clustered around the city’s brightly lit Strip of resort hotels and casinos. The Luxor Sky Beam, a pillar of light that rises from the Luxor hotel has attracted huge swarms. The Best Western Plus Casino Royale on the Strip shut off its outside lights to avoid attracting the bugs.